Chapter Thirty: Theft at the Elephant Garden

Early the next morning, Lu Xiang stood before the living room mirror, frowning at the bruise around his eye.

“Honestly, how am I supposed to show up for work like this?” he muttered under his breath.

Just as he was at his wits’ end, something occurred to him. He rubbed his head and murmured, “Where are those pitch-black sunglasses that boy brought back from Britain…”

He hurried into Lu Hehuan’s room, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Standing before the mirror, he put them on and looked left and right, delighted with his disguise. He strode past Lin Zhi, who was mopping the floor, greeting her cheerfully.

“I’m off to work.” Satisfied, he left with his hands behind his back.

Lin Zhi shot him a disdainful look and muttered, “Wearing your son’s sunglasses at your age—how improper.”

Early that morning, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi arrived at the police station, only to bump into Bao Rong in the corridor.

Bao Rong hurried over with a gentle smile. “Hehuan, I just saw your father come in wearing sunglasses. He looked quite dashing.”

Lu Hehuan sighed, already guessing the situation. “That ‘style’ was probably courtesy of my mother.”

Ying Xi and Bao Rong couldn’t help but chuckle, and Lu Hehuan joined in.

“By the way, Xiaorong, was everything alright yesterday?” Lu Hehuan suddenly remembered that Zhu Wolong had dragged Bao Rong to dinner the night before and looked concerned.

“It’s fine.” Bao Rong laughed heartily, then leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “I’ve basically figured out Zhu Wolong’s weakness. I know how to deal with him now.”

“What weakness?”

“He has a trauma about dissecting bodies. The moment I bring up anything about dissections, he gets nauseous. Last night at dinner, I shared some anatomical knowledge, and he scurried off with his tail between his legs.”

Lu Hehuan couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t expected her “wicked idea” to truly become Zhu Wolong’s Achilles’ heel.

“Xiaorong, I never thought you could be so ruthless,” Ying Xi interjected, seeing the two of them bantering.

“I’m just responding in kind. Good people speak well, scoundrels act foul. You get what you deserve,” Bao Rong replied indifferently.

“Xiaorong, just remember, Zhu Wolong is a lecher. Be careful,” Lu Hehuan reminded her with concern.

As the three chatted, Bao Kang’s disgruntled voice echoed from the end of the corridor.

“Lu Hehuan, who are you telling Xiaorong to be careful of? If you ask me, the person she should be most wary of is you!” Bao Kang strode over, bristling with anger.

Ying Xi quickly nodded a greeting. “Director Bao.”

“Director Bao,” Lu Hehuan echoed, following Ying Xi’s lead.

Bao Kang shot Lu Hehuan a stern look. “We just received a report from the recently opened Exotic Beasts Garden. You two are to investigate.”

“A report from the Exotic Beasts Garden?” Lu Hehuan was surprised.

“Was the proprietor murdered?” Ying Xi speculated.

“It’s not a murder, it’s a theft. The garden imported an elephant from America to attract visitors, and now the elephant has vanished from its enclosure.”

Lu Hehuan was stunned. Elephants were enormous; stealing one would be no small feat. “Could the elephant have been transported away after being drugged?”

Bao Kang shook his head. “No, it wasn’t drugged. It disappeared before everyone’s eyes, the entire animal gone.”

“How does one steal an elephant?” Ying Xi couldn’t help but ask.

Seeing them still struggling with the logistics, Bao Kang barked, “If I knew, what would I need you for? Stop standing there like fools and get to the scene!”

“Yes, sir!” Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi responded in unison.

The two of them set off for the Exotic Beasts Garden.

It was a bright morning. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi arrived at the entrance of the garden, looking up to see a sign reading “Exotic Beasts Garden,” draped with red silk for the grand opening.

Sharing a glance, they entered. Just inside, they spotted Lin Zhi, handbag over her arm, looking around as if searching for something.

Lu Hehuan approached her happily. “Mother.”

“Hehuan!” Lin Zhi turned, both surprised and delighted. She glanced at Ying Xi and nodded politely. “Detective Ying.”

“Mrs. Lu.” Ying Xi nodded in return.

Lu Hehuan hadn’t expected to see his mother there. Remembering how she’d been searching just now, he asked, “Mother, what are you looking for?”

“The elephant, of course. They said there was an elephant here. I’ve never seen one and wanted a look, but the enclosure was empty.”

“Don’t bother, Mother. The elephant’s gone missing.”

Lin Zhi gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. “Missing?”

“Yes, Mrs. Lu, Hehuan and I are here to investigate,” Ying Xi explained.

Lin Zhi was flustered. After all the effort to come see the elephant, she’d gone home empty-handed—Lu Xiang would surely laugh at her.

“Then you two must do a thorough job and find that elephant. I haven’t seen one yet,” she urged.

“We will, Mother.”

“Well, I won’t hold you up. I’ll go home now.”

Lu Hehuan nodded. “Be careful on your way, Mother.”

“I will,” Lin Zhi replied, turning to leave.

Watching her go, Lu Hehuan’s expression turned resolute. He turned to Ying Xi. “Let’s go. For my mother’s sake, we have to find that elephant.”

The proprietor of the garden was pacing anxiously in the empty elephant enclosure. He was in his forties, burly and well-dressed in a sharp suit, with tortoiseshell glasses lending him an air of refinement. In his earlier years, he’d served as a church assistant and picked up fluent English by osmosis. Later, mingling with foreigners, he’d opened the Exotic Beasts Garden in Old Zha and, through connections, had paid a high price to import an elephant from America. Who could have guessed that the elephant would vanish on opening day?

Nearby, acrobats stood by a makeshift stage, while several attendants held two magicians named Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan. Both wore black tailcoats and white shirts, topped with bowler hats and holding small canes. Their faces were painted in garish colors.

Spectators crowded around the enclosure, including Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou.

As soon as Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi entered, Liu Rushuang dragged Bai Yulou over gleefully.

“Brother Xi!”

“Why are you everywhere?” Ying Xi asked, exasperated.

“I brought Bai Bai here to see the animals and lift her spirits. Didn’t Lu Hehuan say that if Bai Bai’s mood improved, she might wake up on her own?” Liu Rushuang glanced at Bai Yulou, who stood quietly at her side.

Ying Xi observed that Bai Yulou seemed calmer than the day before. “She does look much better today.”

Ignoring Liu Rushuang, Ying Xi flashed his badge for the crowd. “I’m Detective Ying Xi from the Old Zha Police Station, and this is Agent Lu Hehuan. Who reported the case this morning?”

The proprietor hurried out of the enclosure like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, eagerly shaking Ying Xi’s hand. “Officers, thank goodness you’re here! I’m the owner, I called it in.”

“When did the elephant go missing?” Lu Hehuan asked.

“About an hour ago.”

“How did you notice?”

“Today’s our grand opening. To attract visitors, I hired a troupe to perform…”

As the owner described, a large crowd had gathered early that morning outside the elephant enclosure. The staff had set up a makeshift stage, where acrobats performed their diabolo tricks. The audience cheered, sometimes egged on by Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou.

The owner watched the show, pleased that his investment in the troupe was paying off; the crowd was lively and engaged.

After the diabolo act, the performers bowed and left the stage. Then the two street magicians, Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan, took over.

Zheng Qiu conjured bouquets and tossed them into the crowd, earning shouts of applause.

Zhang Chuan made doves appear, which fluttered above the audience, prompting a round of clapping.

Not to be outdone, Zheng Qiu produced colorful silks, drawing gasps of amazement.

Zhang Chuan, feeling competitive, conjured eggs and handed them to the spectators. “Here, gifts for everyone.”

The crowd, delighted, gave him a thumbs-up. “This magician’s the real deal…”

Zheng Qiu, still dissatisfied, challenged Zhang Chuan, “Producing things is nothing special. Disappearing things—that’s skill!”

“If I can make things appear, I can make them vanish too,” Zhang Chuan retorted arrogantly.

“Hmph, that depends on the thing, doesn’t it?” Zheng Qiu taunted.

“Anything you choose, I’ll do it,” Zhang Chuan replied confidently.

Zheng Qiu pointed at the elephant. “That one—can you?”

“That depends if the owner’s willing.”

“Make the elephant disappear… make the elephant disappear…” The audience clamored for it.

The owner, intrigued, looked at the two, then pointed at the elephant in its cage. “If you really have the skill, make the elephant disappear for us.”

The proprietor recounted the entire story to Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi, then gestured angrily at Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan. “Who would have thought those two rascals would actually make my elephant vanish! But they can make it disappear, not bring it back!”

Ying Xi stroked his chin, eyeing the magicians. “Looks like they’re prime suspects.”

“Officers, we’re innocent!” Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan protested in unison.

“Innocent? You must have stolen it! Tell us, where did you hide the elephant?” Ying Xi demanded, frustrated.

“We were just performing magic tricks, we didn’t steal any elephant,” Zheng Qiu pleaded.

“Exactly, officer, we really didn’t steal it,” Zhang Chuan chimed in.

“Still denying it? I saw it with my own eyes—you two made the elephant vanish!” Liu Rushuang leapt in to support Ying Xi.

Fed up, Ying Xi threatened sternly, “If you won’t confess, you’re coming back to the station for some serious questioning!”

“Detective Ying, let’s not jump to conclusions…” Lu Hehuan tried to intervene, then turned to the owner. “Sir, exactly where did the elephant disappear?”

The proprietor pointed at the enclosure. “Right there, inside that cage.”

Lu Hehuan entered the enclosure for a closer look. The cage was set in one corner, jutting out to form an “M” shape with the two walls. The cage was empty.

Stepping inside, he tapped along the seams and discovered that mirrors had been placed in the gaps.

“So it’s a Western illusion,” Lu Hehuan realized.

The crowd looked on in confusion.

He stepped out and addressed them. “These two magicians didn’t steal the elephant—it’s a Western magic trick. The magicians used the cage and the walls to create an ‘M’ shape. When the curtain was drawn, they raised mirrors behind the bars, which reflected the side walls and created the illusion that the elephant was gone. In reality, the elephant was still in the cage; just open it, and you’ll see.”

“Lu Hehuan, your reasoning is way off. I’ll bet you the elephant isn’t in the cage,” Ying Xi scoffed.

“What’s the wager?” Lu Hehuan retorted.

Ying Xi thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “Loser washes the winner’s socks for a month.”

Lu Hehuan, imagining the untidy Ying Xi doing his laundry, grinned. “Deal.”

He turned to the owner. “Sir, open the cage—the elephant is inside.”

The proprietor hurriedly signaled his staff. “Open the cage, quickly!”

The two attendants swung open the door, but the cage was empty—no elephant in sight. The owner looked around in dismay.

“Lu Hehuan, you’ve really made a fool of yourself this time,” Ying Xi said smugly.

Lu Hehuan, both embarrassed and perplexed, quickly changed the subject. “If the elephant’s been transported away, the case is even harder. Detective Ying, maybe you should spend less time mocking me and more time looking for clues.”

“What clues? The elephant was clearly stolen by the magicians.” Ying Xi took out his handcuffs and snapped them onto the two men. “You’re coming to the station—once you’re charged, we’ll find the elephant.”

Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan exchanged a panicked look and tried to explain.

“Someone approached us and told us to pretend to argue in front of the owner, so we could cover the cage with a curtain as part of the act,” Zheng Qiu wailed.

“Yes, officer, the script and the payment—fifty silver dollars—were all from that person. We were just tempted by the money and the chance for some fame,” Zhang Chuan added.

Ying Xi eyed them skeptically. “Hand over the money and the script.”

Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan patted themselves down but found nothing. Their faces paled.

“It was just here…” Zheng Qiu muttered.

“I swear it was in my pocket—where did it go?” Zhang Chuan stammered.

Convinced they were toying with him, Ying Xi exploded. “Nonsense! You’re the thieves—come with me!”

Lu Hehuan wanted to stop him but, seeing Ying Xi’s anger, hesitated.

In the interrogation room at the station, Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan sat across from Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi, faces long, barely daring to breathe.

“Where did you take the elephant?” Ying Xi demanded.

“We’re innocent! If I stole it, may I never see daylight again,” Zheng Qiu sobbed.

“Officer, we were set up,” Zhang Chuan pleaded.

“So, according to you, someone had you put on a show, then vanished with the elephant—and with your money and script?” Lu Hehuan was skeptical.

“Yes!” Zheng Qiu insisted.

“That’s right!” Zhang Chuan echoed.

Ying Xi slammed the table. “You think you can fool me with such a tall tale?”

“We’re telling the truth!” Zheng Qiu protested.

“Every word is true!” Zhang Chuan vowed.

“Looks like we’ll need harsher methods to get the truth,” Ying Xi threatened.

Smelling danger, Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan wailed, “We’re innocent!”

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi exchanged a glance. The two magicians seemed more wronged than anyone, and the detectives were at a loss for how to proceed.

For the moment, the case had reached an impasse.